The Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach in California sees the world’s finest classic (and modern) cars assemble each August for a week of sheer automotive heaven. One of the most anticipated releases of 2014 was re-edition of the Jaguar Lightweight E-Type, the very first re-creation project that Jaguar has ever engaged in.
In 1995, Piaget was part of the Vendôme group that would later become Richemont. Piaget entered the highest end of the watch market by releasing a grande sonnerie wristwatch, which was developed by François-Paul Journe. At the time, Journe was a freelance movement designer and hadn’t officially founded F.P. Journe yet.
The movement beating within the Lady F by Laurent Ferrier is the brand’s emblematic Galet Micro-Rotor movement. Despite all the highly visible outer beauty of this timepiece, horological enthusiasts will likely be fixated on one particular point of interest: the escapement inspired by Breguet’s échappement naturel.
After the markets closed on July 30, 2014, luxury group Kering (previously known as PPR and the Gucci Group) sent out the announcement that it had acquired 100 percent of Ulysse Nardin as part of its quarterly report.
Ninety years is a ripe old age to reach for anyone, and few actually reach it. But it doesn’t surprise me that Walter Lange has reached this age so gracefully. He was, after all, 66 – retirement age for most people – in 1990 when he embarked upon the new business venture with Günter Blümlein to refound his family’s birthright.
This month’s horological news features new launches that include the Jazz Minute Repeater by Ulysse Nardin, hand-painted Persian horses from La Montre Hermès, F.P. Journe’s titanium Octa Sport, the new, commemorative Speedmaster Apollo 11 from Omega, the chilly Iceberg by HYT, a new ambassador for Richard Mille and much, much more.
Having had the opportunity to wear Urwerk’s UR-110 TTH for a month, I came to seriously appreciate not only the unique craftsmanship and gorgeous styling of this particular model, but also its cool, yellow-green lume display at night. The blackened titanium case and tantalum bezel is absolutely rock and roll: heavy in color, aesthetic in hue and unusual in this shape.
During Quill & Pad’s on location visit to Jaeger-LeCoultre in Le Sentier, Ian and I had the unique chance to take a lesson in enameling from the brand’s self-taught master Miklos Merczel. Merczel’s story is an interesting one, and jibes with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s common history with this art form: historically and uniquely on request, Jaeger-LeCoultre has famously placed enameled miniature paintings on the flip side of the Reverso case.
It was the Friday morning training session before the 2014 Hockenheim Formula 1 Grand Prix race and we were on our way to watch from a most privileged position: the box. Or, as it’s called by the Anglo-Italo Marussia F1 team, “the garage.” Armin Strom has been sponsoring the Marussia team for three years and had invited me for a look behind the scenes.
Surprisingly, Montblanc has entered the 2014 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). I say surprisingly because I know that Jérôme Lambert is not fond of “beauty contests.” Montblanc’s SIHH 2014 offerings were thoroughly exciting and Lambert came across like a miracle worker to me. In the short year he has been in charge, the collection now boasts clear divisions into three main pillars, the top of the line obviously remaining Villeret.